A teal eyed loner
by Nibbs
Summary: This is a mix of action and romance and some mystery. Misty's a loner and happy to be one. Ash and Brock get caught up in her travels, trying to figure out why Misty is the way she is, while they search for an elusive Pokemon
1. Default Chapter

Hey I'm back.  
This story is very different to what I usually do but it has still has humour and will have humour as well as my attempts at action and mystery.  
I've actually got a good few things planned for this story so I'm hoping it will go down well but if it doesn't, well I'm going to try and write it anyway.  
Ok, I don't own the characters but it is my story so if you want to use it, let me know. Anyhow, please read and review Hope you enjoy it  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Ash Ketchum took a deep breath and braced himself.  
His friend and surrogate older brother, Brock Slate leant forewards in anticipation.  
Pikachu stood besdies Ash gazing up at him in wonder.  
A bad of sweat trickled down the young trainers face.  
  
"BEURRRPPPP"  
  
The sound echoed around the small clearing and with that, Pikachu and Brokc began cheering and applauding as Ash took a bow.  
On the other side of the campfire Misty, a redheaded teen with streaks of light blue running through her hair,rubbed her temples and ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation,  
  
"Morons! I'm stuck with morons! I'm surrounded by morons!" she groaned.  
  
"Oh c'mon! You were impressed, admit it!" Ash protested.  
  
Misty shot him a dark look which quenched that hope.  
  
"Ok, maybe not" Ash muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets and shuffling off.  
  
Brock turned towards Maity.  
  
"So where are we headed now?" he asked, curiously.  
  
Misty shook her head,and looked at Brock in annoynace.  
  
"I'm going to Viridian, you two will probably get lost and end staring at your shoes for hours which suits me fine!" she fumed.  
  
At that, Ash had had enough and jumped to his feet pointing at Misty accusingly.  
  
"You could at least pretend to be nice"  
  
Misty raised an eyebrow at this and then pouted mockingly,.  
  
"You don't think I'm nice?"  
  
Ash didn't respond well to her mocking tone so he continued, his voice rising.  
  
"We saved your life. Any normal person would stop treating us like the gum they just scraped off their shoes after three weeks of walking"  
  
It was Misty's turn to get angry.  
Up to this stage she had been enjoying winding Ash up but now she was ready to turn this into a fight.  
  
"I didn't need you two, you just decided to jump in and play hero and now you expect me to clap my hands together and swoon everytime you speak or look my way?"she demanded.  
  
"You are unbelievable! All you care about is yourself. You'd be perfectly happy to ingore everyone and never talk to anyone else"  
  
"What part of that is bad?! See some of us, no, most of us don't need to somone to play babysitter. Some of us do fine on our own and don't want our own cheering squad"  
  
"Whats that supposed to mean?!"  
  
"I'd explain in terms you'd understand but I'm not sure there's enough three letter words out there"  
  
Brock watched the pair, arguing, hurling insults over the fire at each other.  
Looking at Misty, eyes ablaze and face contorted in anger, her hair swinging with every motion, it was hard to believe that this was the girl who they had found at the side of the path in a crumpled heap.  
She had looked so weak and helpless, lying there, her face scrunched up in pain, whimpering slightly.  
  
Ash had been so concerned when they found her and couldn't take his eyes of her as he carried her to the Pokemon centre.  
Brock had never seen the youth look so serious as when he sat outside her room ,hoping for a miracle.  
  
And now he was shouting at the girl, fists clenched, eyes narrowed.  
Ever since the girl had found her voice, Ash and she had been fighting over anything and everything.  
  
Brock had tried to break up the fights but after a while realised he might as well have been fighting the forces of nature.  
And the especially irratating part for him was that he knew they didn't hate each other as much as they put on.  
He knew Ash genuinely wanted to impress Misty at times and longed for a friendly smile or a kind word from her but Misty's defensive nature would never allow for that.  
  
"And its because of you that we lost that rare Pokemon!" Ash accused.  
  
Misty looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"Oh so now you're blaming me for your pathetic ablilities?" she asked, incredulously  
  
"Hey I don't need to take criticism from a girl who couldn't even dye her hair right"  
  
The group fell silent. Pikachu stared up at its trainer, wondering what was going to happen now.  
Misty's face was dark, her eyes narrowed to slits and her breathing irregular.  
She stalked over to him with surprising speed and grabbed him the jacket and locked eyes with him, her own eyes burning with anger and hatred.  
  
"You don't know anything about me so don't even think about judging me" she growled in a low, menacing warning.  
  
Brokc saw this as the time to break it up and he pulled Misty back who didn't struggled but continued to glare at Ash.  
  
"Settle down you two! You're both just tired from a long walk today. Sit down, have some food and then we'll go to sleep Tomorrow everything will be better." Brock promised, dragging Misty back to the other side of the fire.  
  
Once he let go of her, she turned away and began walking away from the campsite when Brock reached out and grabbed her by the arm and squezzed it, causing Misty to wince.  
He grabbed the part of arm bandaged and had pressed on a wound.  
  
"You're injured and tired and Viridian's a long way from here. Eat, go to sleep and tomorrow we'll leave for Viridian" Brock said with a sigh.  
  
Between trying to keep an eye on Ash and his impulsive nature, and trying to keep Misty calm as well as breaking up fights, Brock often wondered was minding his own family easier.  
  
Misty grumbled but sat back down reluctantly.  
Misty stared into her soup, thinking back to how this mess had first started in that Pokemon centre with a lousy Pokemon trainer.  
  
Ash sat opposite her and they ate in silence. And he was so sure that he could impress her today.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Ok so I know I probably didn't do a very good job with this chapter but its supposed to be futher on in the story and the next chapter will start at the beginning before they ever meet.  
Ok well please read n' review  
Thanks  
Lots of love  
Nibbs 


	2. chapter 2

Yay chapter 2 and this chapter starts at the beginning I don't own the characters well I do own some the one who will be in it later and I do own the story.  
Feel free to contact me.  
Please read and review!  
Hope you enjoy it  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Dark thunders clouds loomed overhead and the skies rumbled with thunder.  
Rain pelted the ground mercilessly and the wind howled warningly.  
  
An attractive young woman with bright pink hair tied up in two loops at the back of her head stared out the large panels of glass that made up the walls of the Pokemon centre.  
  
Nurse Joy was worried, she was worried about the trainers still caught out in this storm, wandering the woofs looking for shelter, and she feared for the many injured or sick Pokemon caught out in this weather.  
  
Nurse Joy was a chronic worrier and it was because of this that she kept shooting anxious glances at a youth huddled up in the corner, ignoring everyone around her.  
  
Nurse Joy had been watching the youth for the day, since she arrived in the door around noon without a word to anyone.  
She strolled past everyone never once looking around and sank into a chair in the corner, keeping to herself.  
There were times that she seemed to have fallen asleep, but her eyes always opened whenever anyone went near her and then narrowed dangerously, daring anyone else to make the same mistake.  
  
Other trainers had approached her, to try and ignite a conversation but their hopes were abruptly quenched when she shot a hateful glare at them which always sent them scurrying away with their tails between their legs.  
  
Nurse Joy suppressed a shudder, thinking about what might have happened to a girl barely older then fifteen to make her look so weary of the world and fill her with such hatred for those around her.  
Her worry overwhelmed her and she found herself walking towards the silent teen.  
  
"Um hello dear" the teens head shot up when she heard Joys voice and her expression softened when she realised whom she was dealing with.  
  
Joy took this as a good sign.  
  
"I think you should eat something" Joy continued, her confidence picking up.  
  
"No thank you" the girl replied, her voice flat.  
  
"You haven't eaten anything since you arrived and I don't mean to pry, but you have no bag or Pokemon" Nurse Joy paused before carrying on." Were you attacked along the way?"  
  
The girl shot her a dark, almost amused look.  
  
"No" was all she answered.  
  
"But if you're hurt in any way, you'll need medical assistance! Please just allow"  
  
Nurse Joy was cut off by the girl rising to her feet and walking away.  
She stopped and looked over her shoulder at Nurse Joy with a hint of a smirk crossing her face.  
  
"Trust me; you don't have a doctor in this whole region who could handle my biology"  
  
With that she disappeared upstairs leaving a still distressed Nurse Joy in her wake.  
  
Elsewhere  
  
"C'mon Brock" a young boy with unruly black hair whined as his taller friend drooled over some magazine cover in a stand.  
  
"Aren't they beautiful, Ash? And all three are sisters? "Brock grinned staring intently at the cover which had three teenage girls, one with pink hair, and one with dark purple almost blue hair and the third with blonde hair.  
  
"Brock! We're going to battle them soon but let's get going" Ash complained, folding his arms.  
  
"We're meeting them soon. What should I say?" Brock asked, suddenly looking panicked.  
  
"How about you ' Go Ash' or 'you'll never beat Pikachu' "Ash suggested, placing his hands behind his head and grinning.  
  
"Ash, clearly you know nothing of the female sex" Brock admonished, shaking his finger.  
  
"Clearly, of course I've never been slapped across the face by a woman while you have been slapped by at least twenty women" Ash joked.  
  
"Exactly" Brock agreed then frowned. "Hey!"  
  
"Did you hear about that weird Pokemon who was seen in the forest?" a young voice said, catching their attention.  
  
A pair of eight year olds walked past Brock and Ash.  
Ash ran in front of them.  
  
"Hey, did you say something about a Pokemon?" Ash asked instantly.  
  
"Um Yeah, there's a lot of people saying they saw some weird Pokemon in the forest but they couldn't stop him because he was running so fast and he was hiding all the time" the child said, looking up at Ash with big, blue eyes filled with confusion.  
  
"ALRIGHT! I'm gonna catch this Pokemon and become the greatest trainer in the world!"  
  
"Are you a Pokemon trainer? The other child asked curiously.  
  
"Sure am!" at that moment Pikachu popped up from Ash's bag with a cheerful "Pikapi!"  
  
"Oh wow, a Pikachu!" the children smiled in delight at the sight of the yellow mouse.  
  
"Brock! Let's go!" Ash cheered as he dragged his friend away towards the woods.  
  
"Hey Mister!" the children cried.  
  
"They obviously want my autograph, smart kids" Ash said, wearing a smug grin and he walked back towards the children.  
  
"Ok kids, I'll sigh a…"  
  
"You're goin' the wrong way. The forest's that way" the children said in unison and pointed to the left which was the opposite direction they were headed.  
  
Ash fell over in shock and Brock sweatdropped.  
  
"Ash, that's um some sense of direction you have" Brock said with a grin.  
  
"Never mind, I might not be great with directions but no one can beat me at a Pokemon battle"  
  
"What about Ga..." Ash's hand clamped over Brock's mouth.  
  
Brock's cheeks suddenly turned beet red and he clasped his hands together.  
  
"I'm in love" he purred walking towards a brunette beauty.  
  
Ash watched and then winced when the sound of a slap rang through the air.  
Brock shuffled back towards Ash, his fingers grazing a bright red hand mark on his cheek.  
Brock, however, seemed pleased with himself.  
  
"We had a connection" he gushed.  
  
Ash snickered before replying.  
  
"Yeah, her hand connected with your face"  
  
"Wait till you fall in love and then you'll be following some girl around ,rushing off to get her exactly what she wants when she bats an eyelash at you"  
  
"Give me a break, Brock. When I decide to get myself a girlfriend which is a long, long way away, it'll be because she appreciates my exceptional skills as a trainer"  
  
Brock looked at his incredulously.  
  
"That's some ego you got there, Ash"  
  
"You better believe it!" Ash crowed while Brock shook his head in sheer exasperation.  
  
Brock walked away while Ash ran through his itinerary of battle poses and phrases.  
When Ash had finished, his last pose was bending down on one knee, he noticed the lack of his travelling companion.  
  
"Brock? Brock?!" he looked around, somewhat panicky at the notion of losing the guy who had the map.  
  
"WHY YOU?!" A female shriek rang through the square.  
  
Brock shuffled back to Ash with another red hand mark on his other cheek.  
  
"Let's go" he muttered, defeated.  
  
Ash snickered as they made their way out of town and towards the forest.  
  
"You know it would probably be a lot harder to find you if half the population of the world weren't girls"  
  
"Shut up"  
  
To be continued.  
  
Well there you have it, what did you think? Please read and review Anyhow that's that, you know my email address if you want to get in contact with me and if you don't, it's on my profile.  
See you soon Lots of Love Nibbs 


	3. chapter 3

Hiya!  
I have the third chapter done and I'm working away quite happily on more chapters. Please read and review I don't own the characters but the story belongs to me.  
Hope you enjoy  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Nurse Joy, I saw the Pokemon! I saw it!" a boy about ten or eleven cried in excitement as he raced in the doors of the Pokemon Centre found deep in the woods, for trainers who need a break from the woods.  
  
"Calm down young man. Let me see your Pokemon first" Nurse Joy said, trying to calm the young boy.  
  
The boy handed over his four Poke balls to the pink haired nurse and ran into a description of the day.  
  
"It happened yesterday. Magnemite and I were walking through the forest looking for some Pokemon to capture when we saw him. He was looking into a lake and then he saw us and ran off. He was so fast, Nurse Joy! I mean really fast, he ran off and all we could see was a blur flying through the forest. We tried to follow him but he was too fast and we got lost" the boy said, breathlessly.  
  
"Typical of a boy to assume that any Pokemon who's good must be a boy" the redheaded girl muttered, flipping over the page of a magazine she was looking at.  
  
She was sitting in the corner again and was still ignoring everyone around her. She was leafing through a bland magazine when she stopped and flicked back a few pages. Three smiling faces of three beautiful girls who were sisters stared back at her. The girl examined them, perfect figures, perfect hair and perfect faces.  
She made a face at them and closed the magazine.  
She stood up and stretched and walked towards the counter, leaning on it.  
  
"Oh hello dear" Nurse Joy smiled at her.  
  
The girl raised an eyebrow at her, as if daring Nurse Joy to continue being cheerful towards the girl when an obnoxious Pokemon trainer strutted into the centre and slammed some Poke balls onto the counter.  
The redhead, who was leaning on the counter, watched him from the corner of her eyes but did move a muscle.  
  
After him, a very weak Oddish trailed in after him. It collapsed onto the ground with an agonised cry.  
The girl ran to its side and dropped to her knees, scooping up the weak Pokemon and cradling him.  
  
"How could you let it become so weak?" she demanded, her ocean green eyes flashing.  
  
"Him? Please, the only reason I even keep a weakling like him around is to fill up Pokemon boxes. It's not my fault that he's a pathetic excuse for a Pokemon" the boy replied, rolling his dark purple eyes.  
  
"Actually it's precisely your fault that your Pokemon is weak, young man!" Nurse Joy scolded, gently taking the Oddish from the girl.  
  
"What's it matter, I'm gonna leave it here anyway" the boy replied.  
  
"You know I don't know why I'm telling you this but Oddish's are great Pokemon, they can evolve into a Vileplume or a Politoed" the girl pointed out.  
  
"You know a lot about Pokemon, maybe you should teach me something" the boy began with a smirk.  
The girl folded her arms and stayed quiet.  
  
"Maybe some other time" he sneered and walked away.  
  
"Oh honestly, people like that shouldn't even be allowed near Pokemon" Nurse Joy huffed and then turned a sympathetic smile on the girl.  
  
"It was good of you to defend it" The girl glared after the boy, threw a sympathetic glance towards the Oddish and walked away.  
  
The next morning the young girl ran over to Nurse Joy.  
  
"Is that Oddish ok?" she asked.  
  
"Oh yes it is" Nurse Joy placed Oddish's Poke ball on the counter and then sighed.  
  
"But I'm not sure what to do with him now. That trainer made it quiet clear he had no intention of caring for it anymore and..."  
  
Nurse Joy blinked in surprise. The young girl was gone and so was the Pokemon.  
  
The young girl walked down the road, and crouched down. She released the Oddish from the Poke ball who looked up at her in fear.  
She tossed the Poke ball away and knelt down in front of the Oddish, pushing some stray strands of hair away from her forehead.  
  
"You're ok, now. You don't have to stay with me; you can go where you like" the girl told him.  
  
She stood up to walk away when she felt something press itself against her leg.  
The Oddish was looking up her with hope in its eyes and a smile on its face.  
  
"In that case, my name's Misty," she said with a slight grin.  
  
Running her hand through the leaves on Oddish's head, Misty nodded towards the road.  
The Oddish understood and fell into step as the pair continued down the road.  
  
You haven't seen it?" Ash asked, hopelessly.  
  
The teenager shook his head.  
  
"Ash you've been asking random people if they've seen that Pokemon for hours" Brock groaned.  
  
"This is how you find out stuff" Ash replied.  
  
"Yeah but you're being totally random, asking anyone who crosses your path. You've even asked the same people two or three times"  
  
"Oh"  
  
Ash looked thoughtful for a moment then his face lit up.  
  
"The forest" he cried and then took off.  
  
Brock slapped a hand to his forehead and whined.  
  
"The advice was so close to seeping in there but then he shoved it right back out"  
  
Brock followed him reluctantly in the woods, where, due to Ash's insistence, they wandered about pointlessly.  
  
Ash rummaged through every bush and routed through trees and rocks and everything he could but produced no results.  
It was getting dark, the first stars of twilight twinkling in the sky when out of exhaustion and frustration, Ash gave up and they started setting up camp beside a lake.  
  
Ash stared out across the lake, eyes fixed on the sparkling surface of the water.  
Brock looked at him for a few moments and then turned back to the stew he was preparing.  
After sipping a spoonful of the stew, he scooped out the stew into bowls and walked over to Ash balancing the two bowls.  
  
"We'll find that Pokemon, don't worry" he reassured the black haired youth, handing him the bowl as he did so.  
  
"What do you think he's like?" Ash asked, curiously.  
  
"In all honesty I don't know. According to some people's versions it would seem to be a water type but then others say ground type, some say psychic and others even say flying.  
I ever heard one crazy story about how it can speak any Pokemon's language as well as its own tongue"  
  
"Wow imagine if I had that Pokemon, everyone would have to respect me as a great trainer" Ash breathed, in awe.  
  
Brock was about to ask about why other people's opinions mattered to Ash so much when something rustled in the bushes beside them. This caught the boys' attention and both had their Poke balls at the ready.  
  
A blue Pokemon emerged from the green leaves and paused, taking in its environment.  
It was tall, about the size of a wolf, about half the size of Brock.  
  
It had dark hooves instead of paws that had a small wing on each hoof.  
Its lean body was a rich blue shade with a white underbelly that started under its chin.  
  
It had a strange headpiece that appeared to be a light blue band across its forehead with a bright, sparkling star set in the centre of the band on the forehead.  
The band ran back along the Pokemons head and formed long blue ears like those of a rabbit.  
  
Its muzzle was a light blue and a ring of black ran around its neck.  
On its back, there was a large pair of purple and blue wings that peaked with a bright star similar to the one of its forehead.  
  
Its gleaming blue tail ended in white fin and its eyes were large opal shaped, rich sea green eyes. Like a Pikachu, its cheeks were two large spots of colour except its cheeks were pink.  
  
It stared at Ash and Brock and then narrowed its eyes, growling warningly.  
  
To be continued.  
  
OK I know the guys haven't met Misty yet but they will don't worry and I've got lots of ideas so I'm pretty happy at the moment.  
I'd be happier if this story goes down well but my cynicism tells me otherwise.  
Stupid cynicism!  
Anyhow, please read and review.  
Get in contact with me if you like.  
Lots of love Nibbs 


	4. chapter 4

Hey guys, sorry about the delay, I've been pretty busy but I have the fourth chapter done so yay!  
This chapter is actually violent, well by my standards so don't say I didn't warn you!  
I don't own the characters but I do own the story so don't tale. If you want to contact me, you know the address and where to get it.  
Please read and review  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Wow" was all Ash could think of.  
  
The Pokemon's facial gestures were remarkably expressive for a Pokemon.  
Right now, she looked at him, with a sceptical expression, daring him to make a move.  
Ash made a slow move towards her, and she responded by ducking back and growling at him.  
  
She emitted a range of low growls and a deep throat rumbling sound.  
Pikachu understood every word of it and jumped forward with angry eyes.  
Ash pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at the Pokemon who looked at it, curiously.  
  
"No information available. This is the first sighting of the Pokemon" Dexter's robotic voice said.  
  
"Then I have to capture it" Ash cheered, pulling out a Pokeball.  
  
_You think that you can take me on?  
You must be crazy  
_  
The Pokemon looked Ash straight in the eye and for the entire world it looked like she smirked at him.  
  
_There ain't a single thing you've done  
That's gonna phase me_  
  
Ash threw out a Pokeball and Squirtle materialised with a battle cry.  
The Pokemon turned its back on him and sat down throwing one glance over her shoulder at the Squirtle who was becoming infuriated with the Pokemon  
  
_But if you wanna have a go  
I just wanna let you know_  
  
"Water Gun now!"  
  
A blast of water flew towards the Pokemon who quickly dodged the stream of water and jumped to her feet, eying Squirtle.  
  
_Yeah get off my back and into my game  
Get out of my way and out of my brain  
Get outta my face or give it your best shot  
_  
The Pokemon darted from one place in the next in the blink of an eye, making Squirtle dizzy.  
Squirtle blasted wherever he saw the Pokemon but it would vanish in a second before the water would ever hit her.  
  
She even darted in front of Ash and ducked out of the way before the water hit her, leaving Ash to get the brunt of the attack.  
It knocked him a few feet back and drenched, all the while, the Pokemon giggled.  
  
_I think its time you better face the fact  
Get off of my back.  
_  
Squirtle managed to land a hit when she was distracted and would have knocked her off her feet had she not managed to dig her face in at the last second.  
  
She was soaked and looked at Squirtle angrily.  
She darted from spot to spot, faster then she had before and in an instant, was standing inches away from Squirtles face.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him and then head butted him painfully.  
Squirtle reeled back and collapsed with stars in his eyes.  
  
_You know it's all just a game that I'm playing  
Don't think you can find a way in_  
  
Ash scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and recalled Squirtle. The Pokemon trotted back to her original position and shot Ash a challenging look  
  
_That's what I'm saying  
Oh if you want to have a go  
I just want to let you know  
_  
Ash sent out Charmander who cried cheerfully but cringed at the dirty look the Pokemon shot him.  
  
"Fire blast!"  
  
_Ohh get off my back and into my game  
Get out of my way and out of my brain_  
  
Charmander let loose a wave of fire, engulfing the Pokemon in flames.  
When Charmander stopped, the Pokemon was completely undamaged.  
She was waving the white fin at the end of her tail in front of her which seemed to place in an invisible bubble around.  
  
_Get outta my face or give it your best shot  
I think its time you better face the fact  
Get off of my back.  
_  
She began charging at Charmander and ran right past him with her tail out to the side, clothes lining Charmander and sending him tumbling back into a tree, knocking him out.  
  
_Ohh but if you wanna have a go  
I just wanna let you know  
Get off  
Get off  
Yeah get off of my back_  
  
Ash sent out Pikachu next to tried an electric attack.  
This hurt the Pokemon who let out a cry but refused to fall down.  
She dug her feet into the ground and kept her head low, enduring the pain, shouting something out in Pikachu language.  
Pikachu froze and stared at the Pokemon in shock and she rose to her feet, glaring at Pikachu  
  
_Get out of my way and out of my brain  
Get outta my face or give it your best shot  
You know this train is coming off its track  
Get off of my back.  
_  
She charged at Pikachu and slammed her body into his smaller one, pinning him underneath her own weight.  
Pikachu squirmed and suddenly the Pokemon starting glowing a pale blue and a glowing ball of energy formed between her ears on her headpiece.  
  
"STOP!!!!!!" Ash cried out, running forwards.  
  
The Pokemon smirked once again and rose calmly, leaving the hurt Pikachu underneath her.  
She strolled past them with her head held high and walked away into the clearing.  
  
Ash who was cradling the Pikachu cried for her not to leave but she turned to look at him once and then disappeared in a blur, they could her giggle sounding through the air and then disappear gradually.  
  
Misty walked through the forest, pausing every now and again to look around.  
She enjoyed the freedom she had, not having to go anywhere or be anywhere or be under anyone's 'care'.  
She snorted at that thought.  
Misty turned to the Oddish who was trailing after her.  
  
"You ok?" she asked, gently, showing affection towards him that she had shown precious few people.  
  
The Oddish looked up at her and nodded with a cheerful cry.  
Misty smiled at him and carried on.  
  
Suddenly she froze and ignoring the gentle thud from the Oddish bumping into her leg.  
She snapped her head to the left where she had heard some rustling  
  
She heard a sharp whirring but it was too late and she already felt razor leaf slice into her leg.  
She fell instantly and tried to ignore the warm blood trickling down her shins.  
She got back up shakily, her legs felt so brittle but before she could cry out for help, she felt a bone crushing hit in the ribs.  
  
This time she let out a scream of agony and collapsed, her eyes barely staying open.  
She was breathing heavily, struggling to keep her eyes open she saw a brown blur before her.  
  
Squinting her eyes, she could make out the rough shape of an Alakazam, and that woke her up slightly, her mind panicking.  
  
He raised his two spoons and began mumbling when Misty shut her eyes and waited for it.  
She felt a strange tingling feeling but the overwhelming pain never came.  
  
Indistinct voices were talking or shouting she couldn't make out which.  
The voices slurred into one strange voice that wasn't forming anything coherent to her.  
  
The Alakazam disappeared into a red blur and soon she left someone's warm touch which felt strange against her cold skin.  
  
They lifted her up carefully but even so, they still caused her a lot of pain.  
She let out a cry before slipping into blackness.  
  
Ash was kicking a stone along the path, dejectedly, shoulders slumped.  
  
"Cheer up, Ash! You can't win em' all" Brock tried to console his friend.  
  
"Yeah but we didn't even stand a chance" Ash mumbled.  
  
"It gives you something to work up to" Brock said thoughtfully.  
  
Ash seemed to be thinking about this and his face lit up.  
  
"You're right, Brock! I'm gonna train until I'm good enough and I won't give up till' I find that Pokemon again, and catch her!" Ash cheered.  
  
An agonised scream sliced through the air, scaring the boys who immediately followed the sound.  
They ran through some trees, to find a young teen, lying on the ground, barely breathing.  
  
"Hey can you hear me?" Brock yelled out to the girl who wasn't responding to the sound of their voices.  
  
An Alakazam who was raising his spoons when they found her, was swallowed up a red light and disappeared back into someone's Pokeball.  
  
They heard footsteps fading away and Ash rose to give chase but Brock grabbed and held him back.  
Brock lifted the girl slightly causing her to whimper and then her body went limp.  
Ash stared down at the pool of blood, disturbed.  
  
"We have to get her to a doctor but the closest thing is a Pokemon centre" Brock tried to remain calm.  
  
"It'll have to do" Ash answered, scooping up the girl who he could had been badly beaten.  
  
Her head lolled to the side and Ash could make out a porcelain face with pale pink cheeks, and long lashed eyes which were closed.  
  
He was glad her eyes weren't open because he had the feeling they would be haunting.  
Her face was dirty and was marred by cuts and bruises.  
Red hair fell about her face and strands were matted to her face.  
  
"C'mon! It's this way!" Brock cried pointing towards the woods.  
  
Ash followed Brock and together, they made their way towards the centre, knowing the girls life hung in the balance.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Hope you enjoyed it  
Lots of love  
Nibbs  
  



	5. chapter 5

Hey guys! How's it going?

This chapter is a little unusual for me but I actually like it which usually means others will dislike it, damn the rules of contrariness!

Anyhow, I don't own the characters but I do own the story and I do own Doctor Fox and the story is mine.

If you want to get in contact with me, my address is on my profile

Please read and review.

Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 5

"And when precisely did this occur?"

A tall lean man, stood with his back straight and his arms firmly by his side.

"We can't be sure, when Dr. Fox entered the perimeters, the subject was gone. We have no reason to believe it's not at full capacity and given its maximum speed and frantic frame of mind, there's no possible way to determine how far or in which direction it travelled" he answered automatically.

"And we have no tracking device implanted?"

"Dr. Fox said such a measure would interfere with the procedure, although…" the man let out a snort. "It seems, to me at least, that Fox just screwed up and forgot about something so obvious"

"Then it's obvious why you weren't put in charge of this operation and why I didn't ask for your opinion"

"Of course, sir" he replied.

"Send Fox in! I think its time he and I discussed this. You are dismissed"

A small man with unkempt light brown hair with streaks of grey in it, fidgeted nervously outside the huge doubles doors of the room.

The doors opened slowly and a smug looking man stepped out, sneering at the older man.

"Fox, the boss wants a word" he said with glee.

The older man swallowed nervously and straightened out his lab jacket.

He took a few steps into the room and jumped when the doubles doors slammed behind him.

He took an apprehensive glance around the room.

Shelves of books ran the length and height of the room.

Many of these books were volumes of notes, notes on past experiments, mostly failed experiments, notes on the subjects and on anything related to 'the bosses' dealings.

A dark mahogany desk stood at the furthest wall away from the door and a tall maroon chair was turned with its back to the nervous man.

His feet barely made a sound as they connected with the pristine carpet.

Fox let out a cry of surprise as he felt something warm and soft slink around his legs, when he looked down he saw a large sleek Persian wrapping itself around him.

It looked up at him for a moment before latching its sharp claws up his leg and sinking them into his skin.

Fox bit his tongue, knowing that saying or doing anything to the prized Pokemon would result in agony of the unfortunate victim who dared cross the boss's cat.

"Ahh Dr. Fox. Good of you to join me. Sit down" a cold controlled voice said from the direction of the chair.

Fox picked up the Persian as carefully as he could and cradled it like it were his own child while limping towards the desk where a small chair sat in front of it.

He let the cat crawl out of his lap and over the desk amusing itself with a set of balls hanging off a metal frame that.

Fox watched the cat for a small while, temporarily distracting himself from the matter at hand.

"Dr. Fox" the cool voice began, breaking the icy silence.

"Yes sir?" he asked, trying not to let his fear override his brain.

"You know why I need to speak to you, how could this happen?"

Fox swallowed again, summoning all his courage.

"Well sir" he was pleased that his voice was relatively steady. "The subject is powerful, immensely powerful and there was always a danger that it would reject our"

"ENOUGH!" the cool voice was raised to a roar.

The man in the chair pounded his fist on the armrest, scaring the Persian on the desk and Fox jumped.

"There has been too much time, effort and money pumped into this project for this to fail"

"But sir" Fox tried to reason but was cut off.

"And if anyone were to find out this excursion, there would be a great many links back to me and of course certain other activities that I'm involved in would be brought to light"

"But sir, it's impossible to track"

"Yes, I find that detail very interesting" the man remarked, his tone suspicious.

Fox looked at the ground, praying that the boss wasn't after catching onto it.

"But in any case, you've toiled over this project since the start and I believe you want to see this succeed more than anyone else involved so I leave this in your care. Find the subject, return the subject, wipe out any sorts of indications that it ever existed and continue"

"Yes sir" Fox said softly.

"You're dismissed, but one more thing. If I don't like how this incident turns out, I'm not opposed to disposing of everything that was even vaguely related to it. Take the file and leave"

Fox paused and closed his eyes, letting threat sink in.

His hand reached for the thick file on the desk.

The tall young man who had been in the office earlier was leaning against the wall outside the room when Fox left the room.

"How did it go?" he asked with mock sympathy.

"Didn't the boss find some toilet for you're to clean out with your tongue like the little lap dog you are?" Fox demanded, glaring at the young man and then walking away, seeing that the younger man was stumped.

He entered his lab once again and sank into his chair burying his face in his hands.

He sat up straighter and opened the folder up, examining the notes and photo's.

This folder was particularly thick with all the photos, graphs and notes.

The photo's started from when they received their test subject till' the day before they lost it.

"Where are you?" he sighed, his mind clouded over with concern.

Standing up, he brushed himself and collected his files, slipping them in a briefcase.

He walked out of the room with the case in hand and left the building.

Nurse Joy looked up in alarm when she heard someone crashing through the doors.

Two boys were standing at the door with a frenzied look.

The younger boy was holding a red haired girl who looked terrible.

She recognised the girl as the one who had taken the Oddish earlier and she felt like her heart might stop beating at any second.

"Nurse Joy, you have to help us!" the younger boy cried out his fear showing.

The centre was absolutely still, no one dared to make a move and just stared at the red head handing on by a thread.

Nurse Joy snapped to her senses, and called for a stretcher which was brought in by two Chanseys instantly.

Ash laid the girl down gently and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"She's going to be ok, isn't she?" he asked in a small voice, sounding like a scared little boy.

"I don't know. I'm afraid I'm out of my depth here. I was trained to heal Pokemon. I'm not sure I can" Nurse Joy placed a hand on her forehead and it was clear to everyone that she hugely upset by this.

Ash was about to start pleading with her when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder and turned around to see a tall man standing behind him.

"Excuse me, I'm a doctor and I think I can help" he explained calmly and for good measure, adjusted his glasses.

Nurse Joy didn't need to be told twice.

"Of course, Dr.?" she asked as she ushered him through the doors into the operating theatre.

"Dr. Marron" he replied after some hesitation.

"Please anything you can do to help this girl" Nurse Joy begged earnestly.

The Doctor walked into the room, threw once glance towards the girl and then turned to Nurse Joy.

"I can handle this alone, please" he said politely but there was underlying steel in his tone.

Nurse Joy left him and waited with the boys outside the door.

The red light flicked on above the door and with a heavy sigh, Nurse Joy returned to the counter.

For a while, the centre was devoid of movement or sound.

Everyone was staring at the doors and Ash and Brock has taken up residence in front of the operating room.

Slowly, the centre filled with voices and movement and things were carrying on as usual with a heavy atmosphere.

Nurse Joy cured Pokemon but she kept throwing sidelong glances to the doors where Ash and Brock were rooted.

"She's gonna be ok, isn't she?" Ash asked.

Brock swallowed.

Ash and never been close to death, unlike Brock who lost his mother and Ash was scared.

This was a situation he never had to face before and no amount of training or cheerful talking would help.

"I don't know" Brock answered honestly.

Inside the room, the doctor was working away, trying to pull this girl back from the brink of death

"Come on, kid. Wake up! Wouldn't be very grateful of you to break those boys' hearts, after they went to all the trouble of bringing you here "he whispered gently.

About an hour later, he emerged from the room only to be greeted with three worried faces.

"I've done all I can but the rest is up to her. She's the only one who can decide if she's gonna fight, she looks like a fighter" he told them, avoiding eye contact.

"Thank you doctor" Nurse Joy said gently.

Deep in the recess of Misty's mind, she had woken up and was in a standing the bank of a glistening lake.

Behind her, a long path stretched back into blue sky.

Misty blinked, wondering what was going on but when she looked at her hands she noticed they had a strange white glow around them.

"How am I not dead?" she asked no one in particular.

"You are, kind of" a familiar voice answered.

Sound the Bugle now

Play it just for me

Misty looked around and was shocked to see herself standing behind her, except it was like a different her.

The Misty that was standing there had long flowing red hair without any blue and it fluttered gently in the soft breeze.

Her cheeks were pale while Misty's own were always flushed and there was no black choker around the second Misty's neck.

She was wearing a long skirt with a sleeveless blue top and seemed to be floating.

As the seasons change

Remember how I used to be

"Ok how can you be me?" Misty asked

"If it makes it easier, call me Kasumi and I'm not you"

"All evidence would point otherwise" Misty cried out,

"Well I'm you I'm what you could have been, if everything hadn't gone wrong and well you could be me now." Kasumi said with a soft smile.

Now I can't go on

I can't even start

"And what makes you so sure that I want to change who I am?" Misty asked, trying to hide her uncertainty.

"Because I know. Listen, what have you got left back there? A nasty history that you've been running from all your life?"

I've got nothing left

Just an empty heart

Misty looked away but Kasumi took her chin and stared into her troubled eyes.

"You want to fight for that?"

I'm a soldier

A wounded soldier

And I must give up the fight

Misty sighed and looked at the girl.

"You're asking me to die? Just to give it up, without ever trying?" she asked although she already knew.

There's nothing more for me

Lead me away

Or leave me lying here

"Why do you want to stay? I want you to be happy and you're not here. Sometimes it easier to lay down. You don't have to go down fighting. You were dealt a bad hand and maybe you should fold"

Sound the bugle now

Tell them I don't care

There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere

Misty stared back at the empty road that seemed to travel on forever.

"That's what I have to do?" Misty asked quietly.

The road was so long and she was wondering if she really did want to try it all again.

She turned to the lake and dipped her toe in wonder.

Without a light

I feel that I will stumble in the dark

Lay right down and decide not to go on

Kasumi approached her.

"If you want to try, I won't stop you. I want you to be happy"

A faraway voice echoed around the plain, a boy's voice that was choked up with tears.

Misty looked up to the sky and listened.

And then from on high

Somewhere in the distance

There's a voice that calls

"Hey you don't know me, but I saved you and they said I could come in and talk to you if I wanted and I did" the voice paused

Remember who you are

If you lose yourself

Your courage soon will follow

"Please don't die because I really want to get to know you. I want you to be ok because

I want you to ...I want you to not die. And you look tough, the doctor said you were a fighter and you have to be!

So be strong tonight

Remember who you are

"When you wake up you can tell me everything about yourself and I'll tell you all about me and we can be friends" the voice continued, sounding childish in his hope.

Yeah you're a soldier now

Fighting in a battle

To be free once more

That's worth fighting for

Misty looked at Kasumi with a determined look.

"That's why I have to go back. As long as someone out there thinks I can do this, I have to fight. It's what I do and I can't give up when I'm close to being happy. Besides I've got some major battles to take care of"

Kasumi smiled brightly at her and hugged her.

"Then I wish you all the luck"

"What are you anyway?" Misty asked as she walked down the road.

"The part of you that didn't want to keep on fighting"

That's the last thing Misty remembered before she was back.

She moaned but didn't waken; she was too tired from everything for that.

Ash looked up, eyes wide.

She was breathing normally again and her heart monitor had picked up and she was ok.

He rushed out to Nurse Joy.

"SHE'S OK! I mean she's still really, really hurt but she's ok and she's alive and she's not gonna die" the words rushed out in excited gibberish but Joy was able to pick out enough words to understand and she rushed into the room and let out a laugh of joy.

The girl was going to be ok.

Just around the corner, doctor Marron smiled in relief and leant against the wall.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Misty" he whispered to himself and then slipped out of the centre unnoticed by anyone.

To be continued.

I didn't realise it was going to be so sad or abstract, it was weird, even by my own admission but I liked writing it and it did have an uplifting end so that makes me feel better.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Please read and review.

Lots of love

Nibbs


	6. chapter 6

Hey guys, I wanted to say thanks for the reviews they mean a lot, especially when I thought I wasn't going to get any reviews at all.

So thanks you lots and the English spelling of realise is spelt with an s, the American spelling is with a z

Anyway, I don't own the characters but I do own the story so don't take it.

You know by now how to get in contact with me

Hope you enjoy it.

Please read and review

Chapter 6

Misty groaned and tried to open her eyes, only to discover that sunlight and she weren't on the best of terms.

Her eyelids felt like lead and as such she didn't try to reopen them again until she was a little more confident in her own will power.

With tremendous effort she lifted the eyelids and blinked a few times trying to focus on something.

Her vision cleared up and she found herself staring up at a white ceiling.  
She started to panic and bolted up causing herself pain due to her injuries.  
She let out a cry of pain which woke up the other two occupants of the room.

One such occupant yawned and looked around drowsily before realising where he was and darted to the girl's side.

She was sitting up and wincing but she was ok.

"You're ok, well kinda ok but ... yeah!" he cried out cheerfully.

Misty opened her eyes when she heard that voice which sounded vaguely familiar and looked at Ash.

Ash was struck by the rich sea green of her eyes and blushed.

"Um Hi"

"Hey" Misty said back in a weak voice.

Brock sat down on the other side of the girl and examined her closely.

She had bandages wrapped around her head and her ribs as well as one arm wrapped in bandages, apparently one of the razor leafs had gone astray and hit her in the arm.

The curious thing was that she was still wearing that black choker.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

The girl turned to him and he could see she was slowly regaining some energy.

"I've felt better" she answered sounding annoyed at the inane question.

"Who ARE you guys?" she asked, trying to sound intimidating but only ended up sounding a little scared and weak.

"We brought you here and kinda saved you, you had us worried." Ash explained, looking down, slightly embarrassed.

Misty looked at him and again and there was a certain sadness in her eyes.

"People don't worry about me, never have" she murmured softly looking at him in mild surprise.

"Well we were" Brock said with a small grin.

Misty looked at them with an expression of hope and gratefulness but then as if a light switched off, she shut her eyes and opened them again, banishing the 'weak' emotions to the furthest point of her mind.

Instead she gave them a hard look and said sternly.

"Well thanks hero boys but I'm good to go now, and so are you"

Ash stared at her in shock, rattled by the random mood swings

"What but we..." he began.

"What is it kid?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"Nothing" Ash snapped back and walked out of the room without looking back.

Misty watched him go and then turned to Brock.

"Shouldn't you follow him?" she asked.

"OK why are you being like this?" Brock demanded.

"Oh because I'm secretly scared of being close to anyone because they'll only hurt me and leave me picking up the pieces and I can't go through that pain again" Misty replied, rolling her eyes and then nodded towards the door.

Brock shook his head and left the room.

Misty glanced around the room, cursing herself for allowing something like this to happen.

She tried to get out of bed but because of the injuries of her legs she was unable to stand and with a muffled cry; she toppled backwards onto the bed.

"OK FINE!" she snapped at no one in particular as she pushed her hair away from her forehead with as much dignity as she could muster.

Nurse Joy walked in and fussed about her like a mother hen, straightening up the blankets and scolding Misty for trying to move.

Misty, for her part, was trying to avoid Nurse Joys petting and was trying to stay cool and collected.

Ash was outside in the lounge, tossing a Poke ball back and forth with Brock.

"Man, what was her problem?" Ash demanded for the fifth time.

"Maybe she was just tired' Brock suggested.

"Yeah but she was nicer when she was sleepier. She's just a pain in the a..."

"Ash" Nurse Joy interrupted him.

Ash turned around and let out a cry when the poke ball hit him in the back of the head.

He glared over his shoulder at Brock who shrugged helplessly.

"Yeah?" he turned his attention back to Nurse Joy.

"Your Pokemon are all going to be fine" she told him in her cheerful sing-song voice.

Ash grinned while she handed him the Poke balls but then his face turned serious.

"What about that girl?" he asked, his voice betraying him and showing his concern.

"She's doing fine, she's awake and she's a remarkably fast healer, whatever that Doctor did, it worked wonderfully but I can't seem to find him now"

"So she'll be back on her feet soon?" Brock asked.

"Either tomorrow or the day after to be sure but may I ask you boys a favour?"

Brock's eyes twinkled and he turned his most charming smile on the pink haired nurse.

"Of course you can, we'd be delighted but maybe you could return the favour by allowing me the pleasure of escorting you to dinner tonight"

Nurse Joy stared at him blankly and then turned to Ash.

"Could you try talking to that girl?  
She won't say a word to me and I don't know her name, her age, where she lives or what happened to her.  
I was hoping that she might be more inclined to talk to you boys?"

"I don't think she will, Nurse Joy. She hates us and made us leave the  
room" Ash objected.

"Oh dear, I don't know what to do" Nurse Joy sounded so distressed that Brock jumped to her rescue.

"Don't worry, we'll drain every last ounce of information she has. By the time we're finished we'll know her name, star sign, favourite food and favourite music" he promised, grabbing Nurse Joy's hands in his own.

Ash sweat dropped.

"Is he serious?" he asked Pikachu who was sitting on his shoulder.

Pikachu nodded with a dejected "Pika"

Misty was sitting up in bed examining the bandages on her arm, and touching her head gingerly when the door to her room swung open and Brock charged in, and slammed his fists on the table over her bed.

The table wasn't very strong so he knocked it over and ended up falling face first into Misty's waist.

Misty stared down at him her, eyes wide, cheeks turning redder than they usually were.

"GET OFF OF ME!" she roared, shaking everything in the room.

Brock jumped up and in an effort to impress Nurse Joy, flipped on the lamp beside her bed and shone the light in her face which did nothing but annoy her.

"Ok tough guy lets start with the facts" he used his most threatening grim voice.

Misty was not easy to intimidate, and she just folded her arms and looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What's your name?" Brock demanded

Ash joined in and started on her other side.

"How old are you?"

"Where are you from?"

"Where are you going?"

"What were you doing before we found you?"

"What were you doing before we walked in?"

Nurse Joy watched this from the door and shook her head in disappointment.

Misty having had enough of this, grabbed the back of both their heads, and looked at them both in turn.

She looked at Brock first.

"Shut" She looked at Ash "Up"

And with that, she slammed both heads into each other and caused them both to stumble back, holding their heads, moaning.

Nurse Joy scurried in to examine the boy's heads.

Once she had both boys sitting, she ran off and returned with two ice packs.

By the time the drama was done and Ash's head had stopped spinning, he stood up and was about to start yelling at Misty when he looked at her.

She was asleep, short red hair fell about the pillow and her face was so serene, Ash didn't have the heart to do anything but leave her sleep.

Nurse Joy helped Brock out of the room.

When the room was empty, Misty's eyes fluttered open and she gazed out the window sadly,

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked and then looked down at her arm and her eyes narrowed.

"Guess I can't run anymore... then I have to fight face to face" she muttered darkly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

She looked out the window where she had seen the two boys walk past and she sighed, lowering her eyes.

She was getting stronger, she knew that.

She had felt herself growing stronger by the minute and would be able to walk out of here tomorrow but she felt so stupid for dragging more people into this, clearly she wasn't as strong as she thought.

With that last depressing thought in her head, she sank into a deep slumber.

Ash and Brock who hadn't slept since the night before, having been searching for the Pokemon all day and then finding Misty and rushing her to the Poke centre and staying awake to see if she was ok.

They were exhausted and were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Ash was a heavy sleeper and considering how deep in sleep he was, it was a miracle anything had woken him up at all.

"Hey!" the voice called out again.

Ash was still half asleep and mumbled something, protesting that he had to wake up again.

A whistle shot through his head and jumped up, nearly falling out of his bed.

Brock sat up muttering and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

They both looked to the door where the sound had come from and a figure stood in the door.

Ash stared at her in confusion.

Misty was in bed, in no condition to be out of bed, ideally she should be in bed but here she was standing in their doorway, her thumbs looped through the back belt loops of her pants.

Brock flicked on the lamp in the small room and they both got a good look at her.

She was tall, taller than Ash but shorter than Brock.

She had a very thin frame, unhealthily so.

She looked like she might snap in two if you touched her, she was that frail but something defiant in her eyes said that she was stronger than anyone knew and wasn't afraid to prove it.

A pair of baggy dark blue pants hung off her hips and she wore a short white vest.

A dark blue choker clung to her slender neck and her spiky red hair fell to just below her chin.

Her hair which was very strange was a fiery red gold with streaks of darkish blue ran through the red locks, even down the fringe.

Her hair spiked out in different directions giving her a tough girl look.

Her cheeks were a pale pink and always seemed to be which was strange when she had such a pale porcelain face.

Her eyes were a deep sea green and a deep sadness always showed even while she as glaring ferociously.

"Look my names Misty and thanks for your help" she said, looking away and then turned around to leave.

"Wait" Ash cried scrambling after her.

Misty turned around and looked down, facing Ash.

Ash looked down and his face turned beet red, he was standing in front of her in his jocks.

Misty didn't say a word for a while until she raised her eyes and smirked.

"Proud of it, are we?' she asked, flatly.

"You can't take off on your own" Brock said as he walked towards the pair, fully dressed.

Ash used Brock as a distraction and rushed over to his own bed to pull on some pants.

"I don't need you two to baby-sit me" Misty replied, coldly.

"No but you got hurt really badly out there and we just want to make sure that you'll be ok" Ash explained.

Misty glared at them both and Ash glared back, the latter prevailed.

Misty turned on her heel.

"I'm leaving right now, do what you want" she said, walking away.

Misty was walking out of the centre, when something small and warm brushed up against her leg.

"Hey Oddish" she greeted kindly, stooping down to his level and ran her fingers through the leaves on his head.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

The Oddish was looking worried but now he seemed assured and jumped up and down cheerfully.

The pair left the centre and as they walked into the forest, they heard footsteps and Ash and Brock caught up with them.

"So where are we going?" Ash asked.

Misty shot him a deadly look but answered.

"Viridian City"

"Why?" Brock asked.

"I've got my reasons" that was all Misty was going to say on the topic.

"Fair enough, maybe we can find that Pokemon again" Ash thought out loud.

Misty snorted.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked.

Misty just walked on ignoring him and his pestering.

Ash ran forwards to catch up with her and Brock, groaned as he listened to Ash bugging Misty about it.

It was going to be a loooooong journey.

To be continued.

Please read and review

Lots of love

Nibbs


	7. chapter 7

Hey everyone, I'm just gonna spout out the same yada yada yada so the character aren't mine, story is.

Don't take the story, you know how to contact me.

Please read and review.

Hope you enjoy

Chapter 7

A small group navigated their way around a wide twisting river.  
Two boys and one girl walked alongside the river, the shorter boy checked his map.  
  
The taller boy looked at the map, took it from the younger boy and turned it right way up.  
The girl with them rolled her eyes and continued on ahead of them, apparently needing no map or compass. The smaller boy, Ash caught up with her and fell into step with her.  
  
"So Misty going to Viridian, where are you from?" Ash asked conversationally.  
  
"Does it matter?" Misty asked.  
  
"Do you always answer a question with a question?" Brock asked, lining up with them.  
  
"You don't?" Misty asked.  
  
"Pikachu didn't like me at first either" Ash began.  
  
"Ok now you've stunned me" Misty deadpanned.  
  
"But I didn't give up on her and I'm not giving up on you "Ash continued on ignoring Misty.  
  
"Viridian" Misty reluctantly admitted.  
  
"Yeah we're going there" Brock said, annoyed.  
  
"Where I'm from, bright spark! How did you two manage to make it past your own front doors?"  
  
"Viridian's a pretty cool town. I had to go there when I got Pikachu because I got her really badly hurt and I had to get her to a Pokemon centre before..you know" Ash trailed off, looking down at the ground,ashamed.  
  
The corner of Misty's lips twitched involuntarily.  
  
"So first Pikachu then me, do all of your friendships have to start with some near death experience? "she asked with a hint of humour in her voice.  
  
Ash looked at her and saw her smirk.  
  
"You DO have a sense of humour!" he exclaimed.  
  
"See, we're finding out things about you already" Brock added with a grin.  
  
"So you going back to see your family?" Ash asked, settling down on a rock on the river bed and taking his backpack off.  
Apparently it was lunchtime.  
  
Misty fixed a determined gaze upon the river.  
  
Brock saw this is a sign that she really didn't want to discuss her family life and so he gestured to Ash to stop this line of questioning.

Much to Brock's relief , Ash seemed to pick up on the hint and fell silent.  
  
"So you don't seem to have any pokeballs, I assume you're not a trainer?" Brock began.  
  
Misty looked at him seriously.  
  
"I don't like trainers" she replied crisply.  
  
"Hey what did we do?" Ash asked, defensively.  
  
"Never seemed right to me. Wasn't raised the same way as you were" she replied, her voice was cold with anger  
  
"Looks like that" Ash admitted, watching her strangely.  
  
Misty fell silent as Brock set up camp and began mixing ingredients into a black pot.  
While he was pulling out various cans and packets, he pulled out a newspaper which caught her eyes.  
  
Misty walked past Brock wordlessly, picked up the paper and sat cross legged,leaning into the tree.  
Brock cast a glance towards her and the paper.  
Ash started reading over her shoulder.  
  
"Hey theres something here about the Waterflower sisters" he called out to Brock.  
  
Misty furrowed her brow and looked at Ash ,puzzled.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The gym leaders at Cerulean Gym" Brock explained.  
  
"Never heard of them?"Ash asked curiously.  
  
Misty shook her head.  
  
"So it would seem" she replied  
  
"It says here that they're still in some sort of custody battle" Brock remarked.  
  
Misty didn't reply, she was focused on reading the story.  
  
**"The sensational sisters of Cerulean continue to cause a stir with their ongoing custody battle.  
Daisy , Lily, and Violet Waterflower are still engaged in a bitter custodial battle over their youngest sister who was placed in foster care at the age of three and has been adopted since.  
**

**After a horrific accident, the girls were left without parents at the age of eight and the three sisters were separated from their youngest sister by the courts.  
  
After being separated from their sister until they were of legal age, the girls have campaigning for the legal return of the youth. **

**Twelve years after the separation and the girls still have not seen their sister.  
  
Their social worker has called it an 'atrocious and disgusting insult to justice that a family cannot be reunited' The Waterflowers have hired a lawyer and will continue to fight until their sister has been returned to their custody"  
**  
Misty shrugged it off, wasn't her business and she never could understand other peoples preoccupation with everyone else's lives.  
  
Brock looked at the photo in the paper and clenched his fist.  
  
"They will be mine" he promised himself aloud.  
  
Misty threw him a doubtful glance.  
  
"Them?" she asked with disdain.  
  
"Yeah why?" Brock asked eying Misty suspiciously.  
  
"They're completely perfect" Misty's tone indicated that this was the worst thing they could be .  
  
"Whats wrong with perfect?" Brock inquired curiously.  
  
Misty dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand.  
  
"Its boring! I like mistakes and screw ups. You're not always second guessing..." Misty paused and then groaned. "Why am I telling YOU this? You guys have never even given a glance to someone who isn't all perky, cheerful, sweet, happy and perfect all the time! "  
  
"Hey thats not true!" Ash objected, speaking up for the first time in the conversation.  
  
Misty looked at him with a bored expression.  
  
"We've met loads of different people and we don't always like the people you talk about. I've never fell for anyone like that"  
  
Misty smirked at the triumph in his voice.  
  
Brock coughed out "Giselle" which caused two very reactions.  
  
Ash waved his arms frantically, trying to silence Brock and Misty turned on her heel, eyes narrowing dangerously.  
  
"Who?" she asked after a moment.  
  
Brock felt his courage filter away under the intense glare of the the red head.  
He fumbled in his bad and pulled out a small photo album and flicked through the pages landing on a picture of Giselle.  
  
Misty stared at the small photo, her cheeks turned red as she did.  
She whirled on a nervous Ash.  
  
"You lying hypocrite, she's as perfect as you can get! You.. I don't care, I really don't!" with that she stalked off but was stopped by Ash's voice.  
  
"What kind of guy do YOU fall for?"  
  
Misty threw a dark look over her shoulder and turn forwards again.  
  
"I don't fall for anything or anyone and I don't know why you think I care about your lovelife's"  
  
Misty walked away from them and when she was a fair distance away from them , she sat down on the ground and crossed her legs like she was meditating.  
  
"Why do I care?" she asked herself in slight confusion.  
  
Back at camp Ash was letting out pent up frustration.  
  
"I mean what IS her problem, she's calm one minute and kinda cu...not such a pain and the next minute she screaming her head off and we still don't know anything about her!  
Nobody should have to put with that but yet we do all the time? Why do we put up with her screaming and "  
  
"Cause you think she's hot" Brock answered casually with a mischievous glint in his eye.  
  
"Yeah but...WHAT! NO WAY!!!!" Ash roared, the trees nearly shook with the noise.  
  
Ash climbed into his sleeping bag and punched his pillow a few times for good measure.  
  
"I do NOT always fall for the perfect girl" he grumbled.  
  
"Not this time, anyway" Brock teased before a pillow collided with the back of his head.  
  
Misty found her way back to camp and when she arrived, she saw both boys sound alseep and a sleeping bag laid out for her.  
She smiled in spite of herself and climbed into it, settling down for the night.  
  
Misty tossed and turned but sleep was still evading her.  
Eventually she rolled onto her back and stared up at the sparkling diamonds that were sprinkled liberally into a blanket of black and blue making up the clear sky.  
  
She was never one to stop and just take in her scenery, she was always on the move, always working out her next move and always scoffing at those who talked about stopping to smell the roses.

But ever since she had met the two boys, even though it was only a day or so ago, she found herself watching the world more.  
Not through the eyes or world weary traveler but through the eyes of a little girl who had just discovered a whole new world to be explored.  
  
Turning her head to the left, she watched the two boys forms as they slept.  
They were both sound asleep in their sleeping blanket, murmuring every now and again, one would talk about how all the ladies would get their turn and the other would talk about how all the trainers would get their turn.  
  
She watched them, a gentle caring expression crossed her features.  
She was beginning to like them and as much as she hated to admit it , she was close to considering them friends and that scared her.

Hanging around with them made her feel like a normal teenage girl which was something she never considered herself to be.  
  
Turning away she tried to ignore that warm feeling currently seeping through her body and thoughts and tried to focus on her goals.  
She couldn't bring the guys with her but she didn't know how she was going to get rid of them.

When they had first met she was considering losing them at the first available opportunity but the longer she stayed with them, the more reluctantly attached she became and now she she felt she owed them an explanation.  
  
She laughed at herself bitterly over that, all her life she never once felt any responsibility of explaining herself or her motives to anyone.  
Funny how even a little bit of affection seemed to crack her so easily when she spent her whole life building up defenses.  
  
She continued staring up a the skies and didn't even notice when the boys snores lolled her into a deep slumber.  
  
She found herself sitting on some soft grass staring out at a crystal clear pond. Misty recognised this place but she couldn't place her finger on it.  
Cautiously, she started leaning over the pond and jumped back in alarm.  
A girl of only five stared back at her as she peered into the water again.

Long red gold hair fell about her shoulders and down her back, framing a sweet innocent face with large teal eyes.  
  
Misty stared at her younger self in shock before raising her small hand and flexing it before her eyes.  
  
"Hi" Misty would've jumped at the surprise but she had become skilled in the art of masking emotions and as such managed to turn to the voice without so much as a gasp.  
  
"Amy?' she asked in wonder.  
  
A woman with long gleaming auburn hair with vivid green eyes and a bright smile giggled and sat down next to Misty.  
  
"Who were you expecting, sweetie?" she asked,ruffling the child's hair.  
  
"No one, I just..."  
  
"Misty, honey I have some good news for you," Amy paused and looked away and then when she spoke again, it lacked the joy his voice usually held.  
  
"Somebody wants to adopt you, sweetie" she continued, smiling.  
  
Realisation dawned on her.  
  
"No Amy! NO! I don't want to be adopted! No! Don't let him!" she wanted to cry that out, but her mouth wouldn't open.  
  
She was sitting there, staring mutely at Amy while her mind screamed her objections.  
  
"Mr Giovanni is a good man who can really look after you and ensure you lead a wonderful and fulfilled life"  
  
"No!" Misty screamed out again but the scene faded away and next thing she knew she was sitting in the back of a limousine.

Her head was bowed and once or twice she raised her eyes to glimpse at the man who was to become her father.

He never looked at her, seemingly busy with the phone in the car and a Persian that sat on his lap.  
Next to him a young enough man with chestnut hair and intelligent blues caught her eyes and smiled.  
Misty cast her eyes downwards immediately.  
The second man climbed over to her side of the car and smiled at her.  
  
"Hey kid" he greeted gently.  
  
Misty looked up at him fearfully and whispered a barely audible hello.  
  
"I'm Matthew Fox" the man said extending his hand to shake.  
  
Misty eyed him carefully.  
  
"And you're Misty, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
The young red head nodded.  
  
"Thats Mr Giovanni, but truth is, you'll probably be spending more more time with me then with your foster father"  
  
The car faded away much like the garden had and Misty was sitting in a steel chair, metal bands clamping her hands and feet to the chair .

Her long red hair lay in long strands on the floor, her red hair now went just past her chin.  
Matthew looked at young girl shaking uncontrollably and felt a wave of guilt wash over him.  
He swallowed and approached her with a syringe.

Misty watched him in terror and began shaking her head and struggling against her constraints. Someone in a black uniform appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her face roughly, forcing her to looked at them.  
She let out a scream when she felt the sting of the needle penetrating the tender skin and screamed in agony as she felt the stinging transformed into a burning pain which spread out through her body in waves, each wave more painful than the last.

The pain overwhelmed and she wasn't entirely sure what was going on around her, she felt somebody muffle her voice with their hand and she couldn't remember if she jerked or struggled.

All she remembered was the pain and then passed out again.  
  
When she opened her eyes again, she was older, about ten or eleven and was sitting on her large bed.  
Matthew walked and crouched down ,leaning on the bed.  
Misty was plucking strands of her hair that had turned blue from all the injections and was staring at them in a mirror.  
  
"Hy kid" Misty shot her a dark look and didn't say a word.  
  
She remembered that day, that was the day when she stopped caring about herself or anyone else.  
  
Misty woke up with a start, truly scared by her own memories.  
Nothing in her life made sense and it was a hard existence.

Overcome with guilt, she glanced towards the boys, and scrambled to her feet.  
She frantically rummaged through their bags until she found was she was looking for.  
Once she had finished writing a note, she took off, running as fast as she could, never looking back, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
The next morning, the two boys read the note, stunned by the disappearance of their companion.

"I don't get it" Ash concluded, reading the note again.  
  
There wasn't much to get.

The note was one line and written in a hurry.  
  
"Couldn't do it"  
  
To be continued.

Hey guys, hows it going?

Please read and review.

Happy Halloween

Lots of love

Nibbs


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